Display package



Jan. 17, 1939. PETTER 2,143,957

DI SPLAY PACKAGE Filed April 27, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jVoeL 19. we)

N. A. PETT'ER DISPLAY PACKAGE Filed April 27, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g; 1 W w 3 Z/ L M lave/liar Noel ifs/ ier Patented Jan. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY PACKAGE Noel A. Potter, Los Angeles, Calif. Application April 27, 1937, Serial No. 139,175

6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to packages, and more particularly to packages made up in part of Cellophane or the like.

Flexible transparent sheeting, typically composed of cellulose, and commonly known as Cellophane, is extensively used in wrapping and has been embodied in various forms of packages. The wide and increasing use of this material in packaging depends largely upon its attractive appear- 0 ance, and upon the fact that, owing to its transparent nature, the material within the package is displayed to the view of the prospective purchaser, presumably adding greatly to the sales appeal of the package. Such articles as dried fruits, vegetables, cookies, candies, etc., are frequently put up in simple Cellophane bags. Such bags however have the disadvantage that they will not stand up without support, and thus may not be attractively arranged on a display shelf,

and have the further disadvantage that once broken open, the package cannot be satisfactorily re-closed, the Cellophane material, once broken, tearing readily across the bag. Other packages have been provided utilizing Cellophane in the form of a window, or in various other arrangements.

Among the objects of the present invention may be mentioned to provide a novel and improved package made up in large part of Cellophane and to display most efiectively the contained material, and to provide such a package which will stand up without support, and which will be capable of being satisfactorily re-closed after a portion of the contained material has been used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a package having the above listed features, which is adapted to be folded flat for shipment purposes.

In accordance with a preferred form of the present invention, the side walls of the package are formed of a Cellophane tube, the upper and lower edges of which are cemented to rectangular cardboard reenforcing collars provided with conventional closing tabs or flaps. when the package is filled and the tabs and flaps are tucked into closed position, the package will stand readily on either end. Moreover, the package is opened through the end closures provided on the cardboard reenforcing collars, so that the Cellophane side wall material is undisturbed, being at no time subject to tearing. The package may in fact be opened and closed as many times as desired without chance of damage tothe Cellophane.

Various "additional objects and features of the invention not preliminarily mentioned will be.

come apparent in the course of the following detailed description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof, reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings, in which: 5 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the upper portion of the package of Fig. l with the end closure tabs and flap in open position; 10

Fig. 3 shows the upper end portion of a variational form of package in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 shows a vertical transverse section of the whole of the package of Fig. 3, being a view taken 15 as indicated by arrows 4-4 of Fig. 3;

fied form of the invention.

In the drawings (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6) numeral l0 designates the Cellophane side wall portion of 25 the package, and numeral ll designates the cardboard end members. It may here be observed that while I refer in the specification to Cellophane, it is to be understood that this is simply a trade name for a type of flexible transparent so sheeting composed of cellulose, or of other materials. In the claims this material is defined as "flexible transparent sheeting of cellulose or the like, and it is to be understood that this expression is intended to cover all materials having 35 substantially the physical characteristics of Cellophane" or cellulose sheeting, whether or not actually composed of cellulose. Each end member ll consists of a cardboard band or collar Ila of suitable width, made up of ends I! and I3, front I I4, back I, and flap l8 adapted to be cemented inside end ii. In the form of Figs. 1 and 5,'the outside edges of ends I: and I 3 are formed with integral end 'closure tabs l1 and I8, respectively, whfle back II is provided with an integral end 45 closure tab I! having a flap 20 adapted to be tucked inside front member ll.

Reference at this point is particularly directed to Fig. 5, showing the cut and scored flat end blanks with the Cellophane side wall cemented 50 in place. The Cellophane side wall portion II will be observed to consist of a single flexible, transparent rectangular sheet of Cellophane, of length equal to the length of the reenforcing band made up of tab I0, back II, end If, front 56 l4 and end it. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 the upper and lower edges 22 and 23 of the Cellophane side wall overlap portions of reenforcing end bands Ma. and are cemented to the inner surfaces thereof.

Thescored blank of Fig. 5 is folded on opposite corner bends of the cardboard end members and glued or cemented so as to assume the flatfolded shape indicated in'Fig. 6, tabs l6 coming inside and being cemented to ends 113, and vertical edges 26 and 2! of the cellulose sheet being sealed or cemented in overlapping relation, as indicated in the drawings. It will be evident that the cellulose sheet is then in the form of a fiattened tube. The flat folded package is then in suitable condition for packing and shipping in large numbers.-

The fiat-folded package as shown in Fig. 6 is placed in condition to be filled by pressing the end collars into rectangular form, folding in end tabs l1 and I8 and tucking flap 20 in place inside front member 14. The package With upper end l9 folded down over tabs H and I 8 and its flap tucked in place, appears as in Fig. 1. The closed package, when filled with material, such as small loose granular food products, is capable of standing upright on its end as any rectangular package, the tubular Cellophane side wall member being formed by the stiff rectangular end members and by the contained material into a cross-sectional shape which is approximately rectangular. More generally considered, since the invention is obviously not limited to a rectangular package, the filled package is constrainedby 35 the shape of the end members (determined by the particular nature the scoring in'any given case) toassume what may be described broadly as a corresponding prismatic form. The package may be opened, a portion of the contents removed, and the package closed without damage to the Cellophane. 1

The specific means of closing and opening the cardboard end members is of course susceptible to considerable variation. As one further example of a suitable end closure, Fig. 3 shows collar Ila to be provided with two side tabs 36 and 31 adapted to be folded and cemented in overlapping relation over end tabs I! and I8.

In the form of the invention depicted in' Figs..

3 and 4, the Cellophane side wall extends both above and below end collars Ha within which the Cellophane is cemented, and is folded over at the ends of the package to form tabs such as 35, thus providing a closed Cellophane bag. If desired, this bag may be sealed closed at top and bottom, in any usual or suitable manner, providing an air and moisture tight Cellophane package. With this type of package, tabs l1, I8,

36 and 31 are opened and bent out in the ordinary manner, and the foldedand sealed upper end portion of the Cellophane bag then opened. The portion of the bag just below this folded and sealed upperend portion being tightly cemented within stiffening band or collar Ha, any tears or rips made in the upper end of the bag in the course of this opening operation are prevented from continuing downwardly past said collar, and there is therefore no danger of tearing the Cellophane side wall of the package in breaking open its sealed upper end.

Fig. 7 isa figure similar to a portion of Fig. l, but showing a variational form of the invention in which the Cellophane la lies outside and is cemented to the outer surface of the reenforcing end-collar, as at 50- The Cell phane s con amass? tinued beyond end collar i la and folded over the closing tabs of the collar with a usual type of diagonal end-fold, as indicated at M. The closing tabs may be of any desired type; for instance, the types shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are typical. The construction illustrated is of course duplicated at both ends of the package, and the folded-over Cellophane may be hermetically sealed, providing an air and moisture tight package, such as is suitable for such products as flour and similar food materials.

The package provided by the present invention will thus be seen to have the advantages of Cellophane, in that the contained material is displayed to view on all sides throughout a substantial length of the package, while the package also has those advantages of the ordinary cardboard package not ordinarily possessed by a Cellophane package, 1. e., the ability to stand alone, and capability of being effectively reclosed after being once opened. In one form of the invention the Cellophane extends not only between the reenforcing end collars, but is folded over and in some instances sealed at the ends, forming an entirely closedvCellophane bag. In all its forms the package of the present invention has the outstanding characteristic that opening does not subject the Cellophane side wall to tearing, and that the package may be opened and reclosed time after time without liability of damage to the Cellophane wall.

While I have now illustrated and described a present illustrative form of my invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made. without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or of the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. A package comprising the combination of a tube of relatively flexible transparent sheeting of cellulose or the like forming a tubular side wall, a pair of relatively stifl shape-defining end members formed of cardboard or the like, said end members comprising peripheral band portions adhesively attached to opposite ends of said tubular side wall and scored along lines extending parallel to the direction of said tubular side wall to provide alined corner bends, and

end closing tabs hingedly connected with the pepackage is filled with loose material, and the package when so filled being adapted to stand on its end without support.

2. A package comprising the combination of a tube of relatively flexible transparent sheeting of cellulose or the like forming a tubular side wall, a pair of relatively stifl shape-defining end members formed of cardboard or the like, said end members comprising peripheral band portions, adhesively attached to opposite ends of said tubular side wall and scored along four lines parallel to said tubular side wall to provide four alined corner bends, so that the package is formable on said bends to assume a rectangular shape, or collapsible into a flat shape, and end closing tabs hingedly connected with the peripheral band portion of each of said end members between corner bends and adapted to assume an extended position in the same plane as the package when the package is in flat folded condition,

' band portions being scored along lines parallel mined by the shape-defining end members when the package is filled with loose material, and the package when so filled being adapted to stand on its end without support.

3. A package comprising the combination of a tube of relatively flexible transparent sheeting of cellulose or the like forming a tubular side wall, a pair of relatively stifi shape-defining end members formed of cardboard or the like, said end members comprising peripheral band portions surrounding and adhesively attached to opposite ends of said tubular side wall and scored along four lines parallel to said tubular side wall to provide four alined corner bends, so that the package is formable on said bends to assume a rectangular shape, or collapsible into a flat shape, and end closing tabs hingedly connected with the peripheral band portion of each of said end members between corner bends and adapted to assume an extended position in the same plane as the package when the package is in flat folded condition, said flexible transparent side wall adapting itself to an approximately rectangular form determined by the shape-defining end members when the package is filled with loose material, and the package when so filled being adapted to stand on its end without support.

4. A package comprising the combination of a tube of relatively flexible transparent sheeting of cellulose or the like forming a tubular side wall, a pair of relatively stiff shape-defining end members formed of cardboard or the like, said end members comprising peripheral band portions adhesively attached to opposite ends of said tubular side wall, said cellulose tube having extension portions extending beyond said peripheral band portions which are foldable to close the ends of the tubular side well, said perpiheral to said tubular side wall to provide alined corner bends, and end closing tabs hingedly connected with the peripheral band portion of each of said end members and foldable over the closed ends of the cellulose tube, said flexible transparent side wall adapting itself to an approximately rectangular form determined by the shape-defining end members when the package is filled with loose material, and the package when so filled being adapted to stand on its end without support.

5. A package comprising the combination of a tube of relatively flexible transparent sheeting of cellulose or the like forming a tubular side wall, a pair of relatively stiff shape-defining end members formed of cardboard or the like, said end members comprising peripheral band portions surrounding and adhesively attached to opposite ends of said tubular side wall, said cellulose tube having extension portions extending beyond said peripheral band portions which are foldable to close the ends of the tubular side wall, said peripheral band portions being scored along lines parallel to said tubular side wall to provide alined corner bends, and end closing tabs hingedly connected with the peripheral band portion of each of said end members and foldable over the closed ends of the cellulose tube, said flexible transparent side wall adapting itself to an approximately rectangular form determined by the shape-defining end members when the package is filled with loose material, and the package when so filled being adapted to stand on its end without support.

6. A package comprising the combination of a tube of relatively flexible transparent sheeting of cellulose or the like forming a tubular side wall, a pair of relatively stiff shape-defining end members formed of cardboard or the like, said end members comprising peripheral band portions positioned within and adhesively attached to said cellulose tube near opposite ends thereof, said peripheral band portions being scored along lines parallel to the cellulose tube to provide .alined corner bends, and'end closing tabs hingedly connected with said peripheral band portions, said cellulose tube having end extension portions extending beyond said peripheral band portions which are foldable to close the ends of the tubular side wall outside the closed closing tabs, said flexible transparent side wall adapting itself to an approximately rectangular form determined by the shape-defining end members when the package is filled with loose material, and the package when so filled being adapted to stand on its end without support.

NOEL A. PETTER. 

